Latest news with #Friars
Fox Sports
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Last Night in Baseball: Wilyer Abreu Hit The Two Most Different Homers Possible
There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to handle themselves. That's why we're here to help, though, by sifting through the previous days' games, and figuring out what you missed, but shouldn't have. Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball: Abreu had a historic night to remember There's so much to love about baseball, but one of the easiest is when something happens that either has never happened before, or occurs so irregularly that it might as well have never gone down like that in the past. Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu had one of those nights on Monday against the Reds, in a game Boston won 13-6. A game they won by that much in no small part due to Abreu. Abreu hit the two extremes for home runs in a single game. In the bottom of the fifth inning, he hit a fly ball to right-center, in the triangle at Fenway Park. If it had been hit ever-so-slightly more to the right, it would have simply cleared the fence. Instead, it struck on top of the wall, and then the ricocheting fun began. Reds' center fielder TJ Friedl tried to change directions to go after the ball as it bounded by him in the air, but instead he slipped as it got all the way over to left-center. By the time a throw reached cutoff man Elly De La Cruz, it was too late: Abreu was getting ready to slide home. An inside-the-park homer, a true one that didn't require an error, just a baseball doing the ridiculous things a baseball can do. The first for the Red Sox since 2018. Abreu didn't stop there, though. In the bottom of the eighth, he came to bat with the bases loaded, and decided to go easier on his legs this time around: Abreu hit the ball a lot more to the right, over the fence, giving him both an inside-the-parker and a grand slam in the same game. Per MLB's Sarah Langs, that's the first such game for any player since 1958, when Roger Maris pulled off the same feat. Abreu is just the sixth-ever player to hit a grand slam and inside-the-park home run in the same game. Simply incredible. Abreu is now up to .256/.323/.496 on the season, and that grand slam was his 16th home run of the year — a career-high, as he's already surpassed 2024's 132-game total of 15. The Padres couldn't stop Wheeler Zack Wheeler being an ace isn't exactly news, but still, any game where you get a reminder of that fact is a special one. Against the Padres on Monday, Wheeler threw eight shutout innings, striking out 10 Friars while scattering six hits without issuing a walk in a Phillies' win. The performance dropped his ERA down to 2.27, and he's now leading the majors in pitcher wins above replacement, too, with 4.4. Wheeler has actually led the majors in that category before — in 2021, when he posted 7.5 WAR as well as a league-leading 213.1 innings — and it netted him his first of two second-place finishes for the NL Cy Young award. Maybe 2025 will be different, by virtue of being more of the same. The Yankees' skid continues The Yankees are probably thrilled to be saying goodbye to the month of June. They went 13-14 on the month, which is a poor showing, sure, but not that bad. How they got to that point is the real issue: the Yankees started out the month 7-3, and then collapsed. After losing to the Blue Jays on Monday night, they're just 6-11 in their last 17 games. On June 12, their lead in the AL East was 4.5 games over Toronto, but now they're just 1.5 up on the Rays and 2.5 up on the Jays. Given New York has three more games left against the Blue Jays this week, that could be a real issue for them: the Yankees have been in first place nearly without interruption this season, but both the Rays and Jays are breathing down their necks now, and the latter has Max Scherzer back in their rotation, too — Scherzer went five innings against the Yankees on Monday, actually, limiting them to two runs over five innings while striking out seven. Orioles-Rangers goes wild in extras The Orioles and Rangers went into extra innings tied 3-3. Ho-hum, happens all the time. What went down in extras, though, is anything but yawn-worthy. Gunnar Henderson would hit a two-run home run in the top of the 10th, putting Baltimore up 5-3, then Colton Cowser would follow with a solo shot to make it 6-3. The Rangers had their backs against the wall, but Adolis Garcia was there to give them some space: a three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th to score Marcus Semien and Sam Haggerty, tying things back up, 6-6. The Orioles were not to be denied, however. Luis Vázquez would single on a liner to center, scoring Ryan O'Hearn — Vázquez would move to second on the play, and while he was initially ruled out, Baltimore challenged the call and had it reversed, giving them another runner in scoring position. Jackson Holliday would reach, then Ramon Laureano doubled to drive in Vázquez. Henderson added to his already productive night with a two-run double to make it 10-6 Orioles, and Texas couldn't answer in the bottom of the inning against Andrew Kittredge. Now, Baltimore is still way back in the standings given their horrid start, but it's probably worth pointing out that they went 16-11 in June, and outscored their opponents by 21 runs. There's still just under half the season left, and they're not that far back from a wild card spot… Raleigh snaps "slump" with homer Cal Raleigh went six games without a home run. Can you believe it? A guy hits six homers in six games and you start to have an expectation, you know? Don't worry, though, Big Dumper decided to return to that dinger life on Monday, with his MLB-leading 33rd homer of the year. He wasn't alone in notable Mariners homers, either. Randy Arozarena hit both the 100th and 101st homers of his career, helping Seattle down the Royals, 6-2. Welcome to the majors The A's called up one of their top prospects, Colby Thomas, on Monday. He'd make his debut by pinch-hitting for Tyler Soderstrom in the top of the eighth, and popped out. That's not the important part, though. What matters is what he did in the bottom of the inning. Check out this throw home with the game tied 4-4: Thrown hard, thrown accurately, the score remained the same. And good thing, too, because the Athletics would end up scoring in the top of the ninth, and win, 6-4. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience Boston Red Sox Wilyer Abreu Major League Baseball recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The lessons the Padres need to learn from a forgettable road trip
The San Diego Padres got roughed up on their recent two-city, seven-game road trip against two National League division foes, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers. They went 2-5 on what perhaps was the lowlight of their 2025 season thus far. The Padres aimed to solidify their position in the division race. Instead, they lost five of seven games and were outplayed during most of the road trip. Advertisement Here are the lessons that need to be learned from this forgettable road trip: Need more quality starts from the rotation The Padres receive only two quality starts on the seven-game road trip. Nick Pivetta and Stephen Kolek provided outstanding outings that gave the bullpen a brief respite from the grind of preserving a lead. But the remainder of the starting rotation failed to pitch beyond the fifth inning. It has placed tremendous stress on the bullpen, which has to navigate through 12 innings of work, going through the rotation once. A tired pen is no match for major league hitters. Their pitches are not particularly sharp enough to garner swing-and-misses in extended at-bats. Coughing up a lead late became the norm on this road trip. Advertisement Injuries have changed the look of the starting rotation. However, it is up to the current starters to improve and excel on the mound. 6-9 hitters: inconsistent production It was a rough road trip for the Friars' 6-9 hitters in the batting lineup. Collectively, they batted .214 (21-98) with seven runs scored, three HRs, and 11 RBIs. However, the production was better for the final three games in Los Angeles. The 6-9 hitters had 12 hits in those contests. The road trip began with them chasing too many pitches outside the strike zone. Numerous times, the top of the order put the Padres in position to have a big scoring rally, but the 6-9 hitters failed to put a run on the board. In theory, a deep fly ball or a well-placed ground ball gets the job done. Instead, we see batters strike out without extending the starter's pitch count. Advertisement What changed? Well, hitters began to understand that putting the ball in play is beneficial. This approach allows them to make something happen in their at-bats. Now, the bottom of the order is taking a walk to keep the line moving. Questionable base running One of the skills that keeps Brandon Lockridge on a major league roster is his speed but it did him no good in a loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday night. Lockridge looked tentative in running the bases on Bogaerts' double to the gap in left-center field. He failed to get a good read off the bat, and it cost the Friars the lead. Was it a guarantee that Lockridge would have scored? No, but getting a better jump off of first base would have challenged the defense to make a perfect relay to throw him out at home plate. Given how the ball was hit, Lockridge should have been past second base, as no Dodger outfielder would have caught that drive. Advertisement When it rains, it pours, as the Friars lost games in almost every way possible. They blew save opportunities, repeatedly failing to knock in runners in scoring position, and questionable base-running. It is a trend that goes beyond having bad luck or running into hot teams. It is more about executing the fundamentals of baseball. The inability to convert kept the Padres from grinding out a hard-fought victory. Yes, it is disappointing to lose in the manner the Padres did this past week. The Friar Faithful wishes the outcomes were different, but we all have to move past it and hope the Padres have learned from their mistakes. More from
Los Angeles Times
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Servite's ‘Fab Four' show their blazing speed at state track and field prelims
CLOVIS, Calif. — Call them the 'Fab Four.' Servite's boys' 4x100-meter relay team, consisting of freshmen Jace Wells, Jaelen Hunter, Kamil Pelovello and Jorden Wells got Friday's CIF State Track and Field Championships off to a blazing start by winning the first heat in 40.28 seconds and earning the top qualifying time — not bad for the foursome's first go around the oval. Robert Gardner ran the anchor leg behind Jace Wells, Hunter and Pelovello six days earlier when the Friars clocked 40.40 to win the Southern Section Masters Meet and fellow sophomore Benjamin Harris joined Jorden Wells, Hunter and Gardner when Servite set a state and meet record at the Arcadia Invitational in April. Friday was all about the 'youth movement.' They left Veterans Memorial Stadium at Buchanan High believing that they could return Saturday to break the state meet record of 40.24 set by Hawthorne in 1989. 'This is the first time that all four of us have been in the same relay,' Hunter said. 'We're going after the record tomorrow.' Sherman Oaks Notre Dame won Heat 2 in 40.83, the second-fastest time. Hunter showed why he's the fastest freshman in the country one hour later when he looked like he was saving his energy for the finals even while winning his 400-meter heat in 47.43, the third-fastest prelims time behind Temecula Valley senior Jack Stadlman (46.99) and Culver City's Duaine Mayrant (47.38). Jace Wells clocked a personal-best to win his 200 meters heat in 21.03 while Stadlman (21 flat), Antrell Harris (21.14) and Leo Francis (21.16) from Santa Margarita also advanced to the finals ahead of USC-bound RJ Sermons of Rancho Cucamonga, who raced Nicolas Obimga of Torrance head-to-head at 11 p.m. for the last qualifying spot after they tied to the thousandth of a second for ninth. Sermons won by 20 hundredths in 21.11 with the stadium empty to secure his spot in the finals. 'I've never been in a run-off before,' Sermons said, shaking his head. 'I had a bad start the first time. No one to blame but me.' Servite capped its impressive day by winning its 4x400 meters heat in 3 minutes 10.94 seconds, holding off Cathedral (3:11.13) for the second-fastest qualifying time behind Long Beach Poly (3:10.70). Maintenance crews will be working overnight trying remove the scorch marks on the track after the boys' 100 meters. All nine sprinters to advance to Saturday's finals clocked 10.51 or under led by De La Salle junior Jaden Jefferson, whose wind-legal 10.01 bettered the California record of 10.14 by Rodrick Pleasant of Gardena Serra in 2022. Second in the heat was Obimga (10.20) and third was City Section champion Antrell Harris of Birmingham, giving a single heat the first, second and fourth-fastest times in the state this year. USC-bound RJ Sermons of Rancho Cucamonga bounced back from a subpar Masters race, where he finished fourth in 10.47, to win his heat in 10.40 and Demare Dezeurn, who repeated as Masters champion in 10.35 seconds, also topped his heat Friday in 10.43. Benjamin Harris won Heat 4 in 10.49. 'Today was all about qualifying for finals, said Dezeurn, a 10th-grader from Alemany. 'It's great competition. I have to go hard tomorrow. If I can beat him at the start I can beat him in the race. He [Jefferson] is good, though. Seeing those times just makes me love the game even more. I want to prove I belong here. I run to win!' Carson's Christina Gray anchored the Colts' 4x100 relay, which posted the fastest qualifying time (46.16) while Journey Cole's late kick on the anchor leg in Heat 2 allowed Redondo Union (46.33) to clip last year's state champion Oaks Christian, which posted the same time (46.39) as Long Beach Poly. Gray followed with a personal-best 11.47 in the 100, beating Chaparral's Keelan Wright by two hundredths of a second for second in her heat. Calabasas sophomore Malia Rainey yelled 'C'mon' after winning her heat in a personal-best 11.57 while teammate Marley Scoggins won Heat 4 in 11.67. Wright bounced back to post the best time (23.58) in the 200 while Gray finished second in 23.71, the second-fastest time and much swifter than her 24.62 at City Finals. 'In the 100 I had a great start, now I just have to work on the finish,' Gray said. 'It's still a great time for me. I'm feeling pretty good, there was no negative wind and winning the relay gave me confidence as I was feeling doubtful before that but after the 4x100 I knew I'd do well the rest of the day. Reigning discus champion Aja Johnson Sherman Oaks Notre Dame struggled Friday but secured the 12th and last finals spot with an effort of 139 feet 3 inches. Camarillo's Trinity Tipton was the top qualifier at 152-06. The 2023 shot put state champion, Johnson was the top qualifier Friday at 45-05, beating Aliso Niguel's Jaslene Massey by six inches. Transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley was the leading qualifier in the girls' long jump (19-11.75), triple jump (40-09.75) and high jump (5-05.00).
Los Angeles Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Benjamin Harris and Servite showcase their speed at Southern Section track championships
In comic book terms, Servite's group of talented sprinters would be described as 'faster than a speeding bullet.' There's so many of them that a rival coach quipped, 'They run so fast no one can see them.' Under an overcast sky and with unusually cool temperatures for May, Saturday's Southern Section track and field championships at Moorpark High was not conducive of record times, but that didn't prevent the Friars from turning on the speed. It started with winning the Division 3 4x100-meter relay in 40.43 seconds but really got going when sophomore Benjamin Harris ran a career-best time of 10.32 seconds to win the 100 meters, an event in which the Friars accumulated 20 points. 'I feel I have more in the tank,' Harris said. 'It's not my favorite weather. I like running in heat, but you have to adapt.' Later in the 200 meters, he won in 20.96 seconds and Servite athletes also claimed third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Freshman Jalen Hunter won the 400 in 47.10. Brandon Thomas, Servite's coach, has used his many fast runners to push each other in practices. 'The next three weeks we're going to be real hot,' he said. Servite could be a state title contender, but despite its sprinter success, the Friars fell short to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame for the Division 3 team title. The Knights found enough depth in the field events to finish with 106.5 points to Servite's 104. JJ Harel made major contributions with a win in the high jump, second place in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump. Aaron Uzan got a surprise win in the 110-meter hurdles. The Masters Meet next Saturday at Moorpark, which features the 18 best qualifiers, will have a memorable 100. Rodney Sermons of Rancho Cucamoga, a USC commit, won the Division 1 100 in 10.36 seconds. He also took the 200 in 20.29. Sophomore Demare Dezeurn of Bishop Alemany set a Division 4 100 record in 10.42 seconds. In the girls Division 1 100, Georgia-bound Keelan Wright of Chaparral repeated as champion with a time of 11.50. Marley Scroggins of Calabasas set a Division 3 100 record at 11.59 and won the 200 in 23.84. Wright also won her 200 in 23.32. Evan Noonan of Dana Hills, one of the top distance runners in the nation, broke his own record in the Division 1 1,600 meters, winning in 4:03.71. The Stanford commit is aiming for his best performance to come next month at the Nike Outdoor Nationals. He has limited his appearances this spring trying to peak at the right time. 'I wasn't planning on it today but it was fun,' he said of his record. 'I don't feel 100% fresh but am moving in the right direction.' Junior Alden Morales of JSerra set a Division 3 record in the 800 meters at 1:50.79. Sophomore Darren Haggerty of Viewpoint, the school's top wide receiver, surprised himself with personal bests to win the Division 4 long jump at 22 feet, 8 inches and high jump at 6-6. 'It just happened,' he said. Viewpoint tied Gardena Serra for the Division 4 team title. Aja Johnson of Notre Dame, headed to Louisville, won the Division 4 girls shotput at 46-2. Kaylin Edwards, the Long Beach Wilson senior who won a state championship in the 300-meter girls hurdles as a sophomore, showed she has regained her form in the 100 hurdles, winning Division 1 in 13.90. Wilson won the team title. Braelyn Combe of Corona Santiago won her second straight Division 1 girls title in the 1,600 with a time of 4:46.99. She finished second at last year's state final to Ventura's Sadie Engelhardt.
The Irish Sun
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
‘Great sadness' as ‘gent' Irish chip shop owner who touched ‘many lives' dies suddenly abroad leaving family devastated
A POPULAR Irish chip shop owner has passed away suddenly in Spain. Terence Ponsonby was the owner of the Friars Rest in Advertisement The popular businessman had built up the restaurant into a thriving His staff, as well as family and friends, have been left devastated by his sudden passing. A spokesperson for the Friars Rest said Terry was a familiar and friendly face to so many across Donegal and further afield. The spokesperson confirmed Terry's sudden passing in Advertisement Read more in News The spokesperson said: "A familiar face to so many, Terry was more than just the man behind the counter – he was the heart of the Friars, always ready with a smile, a story, and time for everyone. "We know how many lives he touched, and we'll share funeral arrangements and more details as soon as we have them. "Thank you for your support and kind thoughts during this difficult time." Hundreds of tributes have already been paid to the hugely popular business owner on Advertisement Most read in the Irish Sun One pal said: "So sorry to hear this. Great character." Another wrote: "Such a shock. Send all our love to you all. Such a true gent. Always had time for you and such a funny gent too. May God look after you big man." Arrangements are currently being made to bring Terry's remains back to Co Donegal. Details of his funeral have not yet been released. Advertisement 1 Terence Ponsonby, the owner of the Friars Rest in Donegal, has passed away For the latest news on this story keep checking back at the Irish Sun Online, where we will bring you live updates as soon as they happen, before anyone else. Like us on Facebook at , and follow us from our main Twitter account at @IrishSunOnline, where we will bring you this story and all the rest of the top news and exclusives of the day. is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Advertisement
